Technology

In this video, Bastian Lang of ROHM Semiconductor talks to Alix Paultre about its new power electronics design lab in Wittlich (near Dusseldorf) in Germany. The lab is intended to help European customers design advanced power electronic systems using the latest wide-bandgap s...

There is a quiet revolution going on in the field of power electronics. In a massive effort to improve the efficiency of power transfer devices, and to reduce the electrical energy they consume, engineers and scientists are turning to entirely new materials, new device configurat...

In this video, Andrea Vinci of Tektronix talks to Alix Paultre about testing advanced power electronics. Since the test system has to be better than the circuit it is testing, there is always a tremendous pressure on the companies making testing products to have the fastest and m...

Power Standards Lab, a leader in grid instruments, announced Grid Thumper, a breakthrough solution for testing the stability of microgrids, distribution grids, and back-up power systems. When subjected to stand-alone certification testing, individual pieces of grid equipment (gen...

In this video, Mehrdad Baghaie of ON Semiconductor talks to Alix Paultre about the company's efforts in wide-bandgap technology development. In addition to their own efforts, the development of GaN products has been accelerated by their acquisition of Fairchild. Today's engin...

In this video, Rohde & Schwarz describes its new high-performance low-cost oscilloscope family to Alix Paultre during the launch at their headquarters. In addition to being well-suited for power engineering, the company is releasing a couple of high-resolution low-noise p...

In this video JC Sun of Bs&T Analyzer talks to Alix Paultre about the challenges in testing advanced magnetic components for use in wide-bandgap semiconductor applications. Even with all of the tech involved, there is still a bit of art in analog electronic design. For...

In this video GaN Systems' Tony Astley talks to Alix Paultre about the state of advanced GaN semiconductors today. Finally out of the shadows of uncertainty, GaN and SiC power devices in next-generation packaging are new entering the marketplace in force. For more information ...

In this video, Steven Oliver from Navitas talks to Alix Paultre at the recent Wide-Bandgap Power Conference about the company's advanced wide-bandgap devices with on-chip drivers. By placing the drivers on the same substrate as the MOSFET, one can gain the advantages of both pr...

In this video, STORM Eindhoven talks about how its team created what they claim as the world's first electric touring motorcycle. To demonstrate the viability of the e-bike's novel modular battery system, the team took the electric motorcycle on a tour that took it around the...

This article summarizes the differences in standards between traditional optocoupler-based technologies and inductive and capacitive technologies for reinforced isolation. It describes a system using digital control of a motor drive that incorporates current sense resistors for s...

Power needs to catch up with data and become wireless to truly empower the latest generation of mobile devices. In this technical article, Infineon reviews the design challenges and standards that drive this new sector before looking at technologies that make this vital step poss...

In automobiles, a revolution has occurred in essentially all design aspects, from engine management to body control functions, to wheels, braking, safety and more. Only one aspect remains the same as a century ago: the power distribution architecture. This remaining vestige is ab...

In this video, Kevin Speer of Littelfuse talks to Alix Paultre for Power Electronics News at the first Wide-Bandgap Power Conference in Munich. The technology is finally entering the mainstream, and Littelfuse is developing a line of GaN- and SiC-based products to address the...

In this video Bernd Neuner from ZES Zimmer talks to Alix Paultre for Electronic News TV at the 2017 Power Electronics Conference in Nuremberg. The discussion deals with the issues involving test and measurement of wide-bandgap semiconductors, which can involve very high frequen...

Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) within an electromechanical assembly that carries higher voltages need to comply with requirements according to national or international standards for specifying creepage and clearance minimum distances. There is a significant number of such standar...

In this video Panduit describes their EtherNet/IP solution that enables the easy creation of a network on the plant floor with a reliable, structured approach that reduces installation time and lifecycle costs. One interesting feature is the use of 5-minute (in this configurati...

The manner in which industrial systems are powered is changing dramatically as the demand for power increases and, at the same time, as environmental, commercial, and legislative pressure mounts to reduce energy consumption and increase energy efficiencies. Industrial systems, su...

Advanced Linear Devices, an innovator in analog semiconductors, announced high-voltage supercapacitor-balancing printed circuit boards (PCBs) designed to automatically control leakage current and enhance reliability for applications used in data center, industrial automation, pub...

In alignment with the PSMA mission of bringing value and utility to members as well as the power electronics industry as a whole, the PSMA Reliability Committee aims to spearhead industry initiatives that identify and attempt to solve the pertinent industry challenges related to ...

This series of tutorials explains in-depth design steps for the buck
and the boost topology DC-DC switching regulators, supplemented by
dedicated sessions on PCB layout and signal edge control for EMI that
apply to all switching regulators. This tutorials series is split into
15 parts and provides details, hints and tips which are useful even to
the most veteran power supply designers. Within this series we will
issue a new tutorial every week. The tutorial series has started on
February 12, 2018. More...

The data sheet forms the essential basis for the selection of the
right resistor. This white paper uses realistic calculation examples to
clearly illustrate how a data sheet can be used to choose the
appropriate resistor and what information is important. More...

The areas historically served by
silicon devices have in recent years been taken over more often by Wide
Band Gap Devices. We are facing higher switching frequency and higher
operating temperatures. Wide Band Gap Semiconductors can accommodate
these increasing demands by permitting better performance than today’s
silicon. In this virtual conference with more than 20 on-demand
webinars leading wide band gap companies together with companies from
the test & measurement area provide deep insights into designing
with GaN and SiC.More...

Silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFETs are
making major inroads into solar inverters. Engineers are keen to
achieve high efficiency across the entire load range. SiC MOSFETs' low
on-state resistance and low switching losses support those efforts,
especially when the focus is on achieving high efficiency at light
loads. But latest-generation SiC MOSFETs have their limitations. This
webinar zooms in for a closer look at these drawbacks and puts forward
solutions to resolve the issues at hand. More...

Within external and
internal power supplies working with 230VAC noise filtering is
mandatory to
comply with European and global EMI reduction rules. When it comes to
filtering
through chokes the magnetic material plays a major role to comply with
that.
The webinar will show you which components will help you to reduce size
and
weight while keeping the performance of filtering on the same level and
you
will learn how to choose the right magnetic filter. More...

The Editor’s Perspective

One of the criticisms of the term “Internet of Things” is that it is too damn broad. It was expected and predicted that the various application areas involved would become sub-cultures within the IoT, and industrial systems have come out strongly as one of those areas. The spirit behind Industry 4.